Page 35 of Cemetery Boys

“You got shitty taste in music, by the way,” Julian told him, his tone matter-of-fact as he nodded to Yadriel’s ancient iPhone that lay on the rumpled sleeping bag. The earbuds were dirty, and they crackled if he turned the volume up too loud. It had been a hand-me-down from his brother, and Yadriel used it to store his music, since there wasn’t enough space on his newer phone.

“No I don’t!” he said, feeling oddly defensive as he picked it up and stuffed it back into a drawer. His yearbook and old notebooks were on his unmade bed next to a Sharpie and more balls of paper.

Yadriel held up the tattered notebooks and glared at Julian. “Did you go through my stuff?”

Julian blinked. “Uh … what?” His ears burned red.

It was the guiltiest face Yadriel had ever seen.

“Don’t go through my stuff!”

“I didn’t!” Julian spluttered.

“You’re a terrible liar,” Yadriel growled and stuffed the notebooks back in their place on the shelf.

“It’s not like I had anything else to do,” Julian groused, kicking his feet up onto the bed.

“Don’t put your shoes on my bed!” Yadriel snapped.

“They’re ghost shoes, they can’t get your bed dirty!” Julian pointed out.

If Yadriel could’ve shoved Julian’s legs, he would’ve. But he had to settle on a death glare instead.

“So, what’s the plan, patrón?” Julian asked, unbothered.

Yadriel stood and went to the closet. “The plan is for me to go to school,” he said, digging around for a clean shirt. “And for you to stay here.”

“Wait, wait, wait—what?” Julian demanded, waving his hands. “Are you serious? Why are you going to school? We need to go find my friends!”

“I’ll look for them at school,” Yadriel said.

Julian gave him a withering look. “They’re not gonna be at school!”

Yadriel ignored him and tried to straighten up the mess. He grabbed his jeans off the floor and gave them a shake. There was some cemetery dust on them, but other than that, they were clean enough.

“Hey, are you listening to me?” Julian stood up. “I will lose it if you try to keep me here all day!” He held up a finger. “You wanna be haunted? ’Cause, swear to God, you ditch me here I’ll haunt you for the rest of forever!”

“You are being so dramatic right now,” Yadriel told him, shaking his head.

Julian groaned and smacked his palm against his forehead. “Look at me! Begging to go to school!” He collapsed onto the bed, his arm thrown over his face.

“You know,” Yadriel said, kicking some shoes into the closet, “if you’d just let me release you, we could end this here and now.”

Julian snorted.

“I know you want to check on your friends, but we also can’t let you turn maligno, okay?” Yadriel warned, peering down at Julian, who pointedly ignored him. Yadriel frowned. “You won’t be you anymore, you’ll turn into a—a monster.”

Julian peeked up at him from under his arm. “Bold of you to assume I’m not one already.”

Yadriel stared at him, trying to gauge if he was being serious or not.

Julian met his gaze, unblinking.

Knock, knock.

Both their heads snapped to the door.

Yadriel’s eyes went wide. That had to be Lita. She knew. She could sense he had a spirit in his room. He was totally screwed. If Lita found Julian, she’d tell his dad, and Yadriel would get in deep trouble for disobeying him and going behind his back and—Oh God, would they kick him out for disrespecting the ways of the brujx?